Viking tattoos

#1 The Warriors of Seas

In most cases Vikings are associated with piracy as their name can be interpreted from the Old Norse as “the sea raid of pirates”. However, there are various positive features that were characteristic for them. They were excellent traders and travelled to unexplored territories to bring back the goods that were never seen before and that stimulated the desires to explore the world.

#2 One Eyed Lord

Odin is often depicted as a one eyed man with long beard. He didn’t lose his eye in battle but sacrificed it for the sake of knowledge to the giant Yimir who let him drink from the source of the eternal knowledge. Immediately all the secrets of the runes became open to him and he became an all knowing father of gods who was able to rule the gods.

#3 The Mighty Grendel Tattoo

The Grendel is a giant monster who terrorized the territory of the kingdom. Hundreds of heroes fought him bravely but all of them were eaten. The only person who was able to defeat him was a legendary character Siegfried. This tattoo represents an ornamented designed Celtic demon that looks truly incredible on the back of the man.

#4 Before the Battle

The moment of silence always stands before the battle starts. The warriors stand with stony faces with their arms ready. The solar disk is shining with fading light and is ready to disappear. The moment the sun disappears, the horns of war will start trumpeting and the bloodshed will begin taking the lives of many brave men.

#5 The Mighty Thor

Thor is a real hero of Scandinavian epic stories. He is the son of Odin and in many ways he is very similar to Hercules. He also helped weak mortals and committed numerous deeds for the glory of Asgard. He has got a magical weapon that brings justice to the world – Mjolnir, the hammer, that was taken by Locke from the dwarfs together with some other relicts.

#6 Bragi – God of Poetry

Bragi is one of the lords who dwell in Asgard. This god has nothing to do with war and he prefers solving the problems by singing. When it comes to writing poems there is no one better than Bragi. He takes records of all the actions of gods and creates the ballads about their good and bad deeds. The wine is the passion of a talkative god, although his songs are truly amazing.

#7 Plated Knot for Luck

The Celtic knots are said to carry various meanings and symbols. Some are made for good health while others are supposed to bring luck to the owner. This option is dedicated to the victory of the wearer. It looks extremely stylish on the body of the wearer and anybody who is passionate about the culture of Norse will adore this art.

#8 The Helm of Awe with a Dragon

The helm of Awe is a powerful symbol of luck and divine protection. It is often enhanced by runes and is said to bring the mercy of gods to the owner of the symbol. Here we have the symbol connected to a spiral that is a tail of the world dragon – the most powerful being in the universe. All the smaller elements of the picture enhance the overall power of the dragon.

#9 Rising from the Hell

The hell is probably the most terrible place that can be imagined and described in the Scandinavian mythology. The souls of the warriors who lost the battle or died in disgrace are condemned to eternal repetition of the moment of their deaths. They are eager to escape from hell even in half decaying state. They dream to reach Valhalla – the place of final rest.

#10 Inspired by the Pirates of the Caribbean

Vikings used to travel a lot and the whole world seemed an open book to them. There are many legends about ghost ships which roam the seven seas. This one definitely resembles the Black Pearl from famous movie. The captain on board of the vessel may look like a human being but the full moon shows us the real face of the ghost who rules the ship.

#11 The Praying Warrior

This warrior with closed eyes expresses reverence to his gods. It seems that this fellow is preparing for the next battle. He asks for help from his gods and his faith is really strong. The man believes that gods will answer him and assist him during the battle with the opponents. The faith that is the thing that was characteristic for most of the Viking warriors.

#12 A Classical Look

The Viking warriors were famous all over the world. They were travelling through the world and were considered the first travellers who managed to cross the oceans and seas. Here you can see a typical image of a typical warrior of Norse. The horned helmet, long beard and hair contributed to the beast like look that was feared by everyone.

#13 The Mighty Fenrir

Fenrir is a demonic bastard of Locke and the witch of the dark forest. This beast was a giant wolf that was able to deal with the god and even swallow the sun. He was placed on a special chain that was forged by the gnomes in the Alfheim. It looks like some pretty decoration but it was able to withhold the beast until the very end of days when lord of fire Surtr released him from the imprisonment.

#14 Thor with Mjolnir

Thor is one of the most famous sons of Odin, who was the protector of mortals and who taught them of various useful things. He was a hero in many series and the last movies based on Marvel’s universe presented him in the brightest light. In the movie Thor is strong and awesome but he definitely lack some attribute of a real Viking – a luxurious beard that is present at this variant of war god.

#15 The Mighty Warrior

Here is a design of Siegfried who used to be one of the most famous heroes of the Scandinavian epos. He fought against numerous monsters including Grendel and giant worm whose blood granted him almost a total invisibility. Unfortunately, he has got one week spot on the back that was covered by a leaf and wasn’t soaked in the blood of the monster. In this aspect it is very similar to the myth about Achilles.

#16 The Warrior Goddesses

This is an image of a Valkyrie in a war helmet. These women were part of Odin’s elite squad and fulfilled his various tasks and assisted him on the battlefield. These were strong spirited goddesses of war who wielded the spears and special armour that made them nearly invincible. This is a good tattoo for any woman who wants to demonstrate her confidence and strength.

#17 Handsome Baldr

Here is one of the sons of Odin. His name is Baldr and he was considered one of the bravest and the most beautiful people among all the Aesir. He fought bravely in the battle against yotuns, ice giants, in the Yotunheim. He used to wear two swords but after being tricked by Locke he lost his hand in the mouth of Fenrir – the giant wolf. He continued fighting with one hand during the Ragnarok.

#18 With the Divine Support

Although the Vikings seemed to be reckless and merciless, they were still quite religious people. They had a strong belief in their gods and sought the ways to bring them to their side and often asked them for assistance. The mighty warrior at the tattoo is depicted with a shadowy silhouette of the god to which he brought prayers in order to win the battle.

#19 The Crimson Dawn

The art demonstrates the crew of the Viking barbarians who are ready to take their next victim onboard. One of the members of the vessel is standing on the nose and is holding a giant battle axe, ready to be the first to acquire the trophies in battle and the head of the first sacrifice. The red colors add some blood thirsty look to the design.

#20 The Runic Ouroboros

#21 The Great Thunderer

Odin is one of the best known characters from the Scandinavian pantheon of gods. After a popular series based on the works of Neil Geiman – American Gods the image of Odin was totally reviewed. At this tattoo we can see the ship that was probably crossing the ocean to the US continent under the guidance of their lord of thunder who was invisibly present on board.

#22 Through the Gates

This creepy tattoo demonstrates us the real hell. In the Scandinavian world the netherworld is called the Muspelheim. This is the place of eternal fire and chaos where the lord of fire Surtr eternally tortures the souls of the damned with infernal fire. His demon servants constantly bring new victims to this terrible realm of terror.

#23 Sail away

The people of north used to be excellent sailors. Their skills were forged in tough climate and in constant need for food and skins of animals to survive severe winters. They developed extremely fast vessels so that they were able to move effectively in the harsh waters and even avoid being tossed over when large waves come.

#24 Head of the Dragon

What is an excellent place for a tattoo with a dragon? – People can start naming various parts of body. For a man with an attractive shape of skull and bold hairstyle, dragon is an excellent tattoo that will demonstrate the real manliness of the owner. Performed in a Viking style this tattoo will be especially awesome with some bearded guys.

#25 Shoulder Knotted Armour

This excellent sleeve tattoo will look really awesome on some muscular hand. The intricate ornament on the flesh that is performed in a style of a Celtic knot strongly resembles some sort of spell that was engraved on the body of the owner. The Vikings believed into the strength of various symbols and often decorated their bodies with ritualistic scars and paintings before going to the battle.

#26 Valknut Fist

This tattoo is composed of several triangles which are interconnected with one another. The meaning of this symbol is still an object of investigation among a variety of culturologists. This symbol can be found on various sacred objects and was greatly venerated by the ancient Scandinavians. Some say that this is a charm against death so that is a good sign to wear on hands.

#27 The Sons of Odin

There were many sons who were born from Odin in Asgard, but people usually remember about Thor and Locke, missing out several others. The twin brothers Vidal and Vali are the youngest sons of Odin. They had to avenge their elder brother Baldr whose hand was bitten by the giant beast wolf Fenrir who was supposed to swallow the sun during the dusk of gods.

#28 The Winged Amazon

Valkirja from the Scandinavian means “the gatherer of the fallen”. This word describes more a function than a name of these warrior maidens. They were similar to Amazons from Greek mythology though the Valkyries were more like goddesses than plain humans. They have got wings and were flying above the battle field taking the souls of the bravest warriors to receive the honours from Odin.

#29 Movie Inspired Vikings

The series about Vikings has brought back the fame of the Scandinavian warriors but this time they were not represented as some sort of merciless murderers but as noble heroes. This tattoo demonstrates us the ship of the main characters on which they travelled during several seasons and with the face of the main hero who became an object of passion for many women.

#30 Fearsome Warrior

This tattoo demonstrates us an awesome warrior Viking that radiates with animal like fearsomeness. The horned helmets, hairy bear like bodies, spikes on the armours and weapon that they were easily holding created a demonic aura around them. It seems that no matter what you do they will be undefeatable and rise from the dead to get revenge.

#31 The Ouroboros Armour

This tattoo is a real masterpiece of art that really took much time and patience. However, the result was definitely worth the time spent on it. It demonstrates something very similar to a coat that is designed like a warrior’s armour. It is ornamented with an Ouroboros that has coiled in a Mobius and symbolizes the infinity. It means that the armour will protect the wearer eternally.

#32 The All-knowing God

At this art we have got a composition with a deep symbolism. It shows us the head of the giant Ymir that lies at the roots of the tree of life – Ygdrassil. It is said that his thought have created this tree while the whole body gave the birth to the entire world. He was the one who presented Odin the knowledge of runes when the warrior god sacrificed his eye in return. The symbol on his forehead means death as Ymir was the one to give a prophecy about Ragnarok – the Scandinavian Apocalypse.

#33 The Bearded Scull Crusher

The warriors of Scandinavia were famous all over the medieval Europe. They were known as dangerous enemies both on earth and on the sea surface. Their entire look caused the terror; the Vikings knew that and tried to appear in the most terrifying look to demoralize their opponents. Look at this bearded armoured man with axe and a belt that is composed of skulls. With a single look it becomes obvious what he can do with the axe.

#34 Frigg and Odin

This is a nice tattoo for husband and wife who are both fans of tattoo art and of Norse Mythology. It demonstrates the portraits of Odin and Frig – the leader gods of the Scandinavian pantheon of divinities. It is a very nice choice as this couple seemed to live in peace and mutual understanding. So if you feel the same with your second half, then add such art to your bodies.

#35 The Horse of Odin

This awesome chest tattoo is an art that introduces us the loyal horse of Odin decorated with ethnic ornament. The story of the horse is quite interesting and one might have already guessed that this is not an ordinary animal. It has got eight legs and doesn’t know what the exhaustion is. It is one of the Locke’s gifts to his father. With the help of this beast Odin is able to travel instantly from the Asgard to the world of mortals.

#36 Lizard Demon

Here is a demonic style art of a Viking warrior. At a closer look we can see that this art was probably inspired by a lizard and there is a lot of similarity between this warrior and the cold blood fellows. They both have got sly glance and long tongue. Some of the species can be very dangerous due to the poison that is concentrated in their skins. This soldier is a true therion that woke up his inner animal.

#37 Celtic Knotted Dragon

The dragon is always an excellent tattoo idea that inspires designers on various designs. This mythical being can be traced in almost all mythologies of the world, so there is no wonder that in the Norse ballads and songs you can find monstrous lizards as well. This is a shoulder tattoo that consists of the body of a huge snake with intertwined Celtic knots which add some extra beauty. The dragon symbolizes the inhuman strength that can help to fight even with gods.